I have observed a new Strike 3 Holdings expansion strategy, where they are filing new lawsuits in locations (e.g., noting the recent article that I just wrote on 6/9/2023 on the new cases in the Ohio Northern District Court). The issue is that there are no defense attorneys who are knowledgable about their copyright infringement lawsuits in these new jurisdictions, and judges there are not yet exposed to their ISP subpoena letter strategy of soliciting settlements from accused defendants.
While the company has been targeting accused defendants in many states including California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, it seems they are now looking for new locations to file.
Possible Reason 1: No Known Defense Attorneys in These States
As mentioned in my recent article at /strike-3-holdings-list-of-cases-by-state-march-2023/, Strike 3 Holdings, LLC has been filing copyright infringement lawsuits against accused defendants in many states. However, it appears that the company is now facing legal challenges in some of these states.
This could be due to several reasons, such as the complex nature of the copyright infringement cases, the high costs associated with hiring experts in this area of law, or simply a lack of interest or skill in pursuing infringers in these courts when really what they want is a forced settlement from each defendant. Whatever the reason, the lack of competent defense attorneys in these new states is an alarming development in the timeline of copyright lawsuits.
Possible Reason 2: No Case Law Yet in New Federal Court Jurisdictions
Another possible reason for the new lawsuits facing Strike 3 Holdings, LLC is the fact that the company is filing these cases in new federal court jurisdictions where there is no case law yet. This lack of case law could pave the way for the company to file copyright infringement lawsuits against accused defendants in those federal court districts without the current obstructions they are rightfully experiencing in more battle-worn federal courts
Without case law to rely on, the judges in these new jurisdictions may be more likely to rule in favor of Strike 3 Holdings, LLC, and this could lead to more lawsuits in those new federal court jurisdictions. It is possible that the company is taking a calculated risk by filing these cases in new federal court jurisdictions, but as I wrote about last night (on 6/9), it appears to me that they might be relying on out-of-state Settlement Factory attorneys to ensure the success of their new Ohio ISP Subpoeena Letter lawsuit campaign.
Possible Reason 3: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC Uses Geolocation Data to Target Potential Defendants with Deep Pockets to Settle
Finally, it is important to note that Strike 3 Holdings, LLC uses geolocation data correlated with demographic information to target potential defendants. The company knows what IP address geolocates to which ISP in which city, state, and zip code, and this allows them to determine whether a potential John Doe Defendant in that zip code potentially has money to pay Strike 3 Holdings, LLC a settlement or not.
This data allows Strike 3 Holdings, LLC to target accused defendants who are more likely to settle out of court, and this could be another reason why the company is filing new lawsuits in these locations. I honestly do not think that they are moving to new locations because their tactics are becoming more well-known, or that more accused defendants are fighting back against the company’s copyright infringement claims. Their business model of leveraging an “unbalanced playing field” is still working for them, as it costs them almost nothing to file a lawsuit, and it costs each accused defendant their entire bank account just to defend against it.
Conclusion
While it remains to be seen how these new federal court locations will play out for Strike 3 Holdings, LLC, it is clear that the company is always planning the next scheme on where to file, or which demographic to target next in their lawsuits. Seeing these trends, it is clear that Strike 3 Holdings, LLC’s expension strategies are moving forward, and nobody is paying attention to this. As more accused defendants in new states get targeted by the company’s copyright infringement claims, I am wondering how we are going to make a big fuss about publicizing what appears to be their new strategy of filing their lawsuits in new states.